Market pathways of smallholder rice farmers in San Mateo, Isabela

Issue Date

7-2018

Abstract

The Rice Business Innovation System (RiceBIS) is the banner development program of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, which was launched in 2017. It envisions to increase yield, lower production cost, and to link farmers to the market by engaging individual farmers into group marketing. To realize these goals, one important activity was conduct of market chain study on fresh palay to analyze the movement of the commodity from the farmers’ field to consumers to determine their advantage. Data were gathered from 68 cluster members of the RiceBIS community in San Mateo, Isabela and other chain actors through Key Informant interviews and field observations. Results showed that majority of the farmers sold their harvest to local Palay Buying Stations in San Mateo, Isabela while there were few who sold their harvest to 'biyaheros' or traders from nearby provinces such as Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya. Farmers preferred to sell their produce individually as fresh palay owing to lack of drying and storage facilities to process and keep their harvest. The local Palay Buying Stations immediately sell what they have consolidated from farmers to their network of millers in San Mateo and in nearby municipalities. The millers process and produce milled rice for delivery to their market network in Metro Manila, Bulacan, La Union, and other provinces. Results therefore indicate that there is a ready and strong market of fresh palay in San Mateo, Isabela. Moreover, in terms of profit, there is no difference when farmers market their palay individually or in group as price is controlled by the traders. Farmers though, may create an advantage by specializing in the development of rice and rice-based products with defined market outlets.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Crop Science

ISSN

0115-463X

Volume

43

Issue

Supplement no. 1

Page

129

Document Type

Article

College

College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS)

Language

English

Subject

Rice; Rice farming; Rice marketing

En – AGROVOC descriptors

RICE; MARKETING; MARKETING CHANNELS; FARMERS; MARKETING TECHNIQUES; DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS; CONSUMERS; PHILIPPINES

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